Barely two weeks after the rollout of the 10-year passport embedded with the National Identity Number, the Nigeria Immigration Service has issued over 20,000 booklets to applicants in Abuja and Lagos.
The service also said it had been able to resolve the challenges of multiple identities by applicants, noting that the new e-passport would soon be rolled out in Kano and London, United Kingdom.
The Controller General of Immigration Muhammad Babandede made this known in Abuja on Friday shortly after decorating four Deputy Comptrollers-General of Immigration with their new rank, he explained that the new booklet was expected to replace the old one in due course.
He said, “We have already rolled out in two stations in Abuja and Ikoyi, Lagos. The next will be Kano, and then followed by London. At the beginning, we had challenges because Nigerians didn’t understand.
“Some of them had different names in the National Identity Number database and the passport and when you link it, you find a lot of problems because the passport could not be issued.”
“The challenge is that Nigerians don’t care about their identity, but now, they realized they need to have only one identity. We have issued over 20,000 in Abuja and Lagos, we would continue to issue in all commands and formations. Gradually, it would replace the old one, but the old one would continue to work concurrently with the new passport,” Babandede stated.
He encouraged applicants to pay online, noting that the NIS no longer received cash payments for its services.
Giving an update on a Nigerian, Jeffrey Ewohime, who vandalized vehicles at the Nigerian High Commission premises in London a few weeks ago, over the delay in the release of his passport, the CG stated that he had been issued the booklet on Thursday.
Babandede said, “The man came yesterday (Thursday) to the high commission to collect his passport and he was given. He ought to have collected it a month ago; The passport was ready, it was his duty to leave a self-addressed envelope, he didn’t.
“I’m glad to state that things are okay, the man has realized that it is not right. Our future would be probably removing the passports from the Missions to a place where it can be commercialized. The man had the right to complain and we have the right to explain.”
